Solar Panel Orientation Efficiency

In winter a panel fixed at the winter angle will be relatively efficient capturing 81 to 88 percent of the energy compared to optimum tracking.

Solar panel orientation efficiency.

In the spring summer and autumn the efficiency is lower 74 75 in spring autumn and 68 74 in summer because in these seasons the sun travels a larger area of the sky and a fixed panel can t. Solar panels have been consistently increasing in efficiency at about 5 annually since 2010. For australia solar power yields are higher when panels face north in fact all southern hemisphere locations should ideally position panels in a northerly direction. But that task is complicated by the fact that the sun moves across the sky throughout the day.

This large jump in efficiency resulted in the power output of a standard size. The effect of orientation on solar output. Utilizing solar panel trackers to maximize your solar system s performance. For the best results solar panels should be oriented towards the south.

A solar panel will harness the most power when the sun s rays hit its surface perpendicularly. Solar panels work best when they face directly into the sun. This is because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky in the northern hemisphere. The average efficiency of solar panels falls between the 17 to 19 percent efficiency range.

Factors that affect solar panel efficiency. The highest efficiency solar panels on the market today can reach almost 23 percent efficiency. Even with this decrease in performance solar panels will produce enough electricity to save you hundreds of dollars a year. The direction solar panels should ideally face for optimum sun exposure varies depending on location.

Efficiency of solar systems at different tilt angles and orientations for sydney. While the angle of your solar panels is important a more important factor in your energy production is going to be the direction your panels face. Axis trackers generate more electricity by using about the same amount of space as fixed systems. Australia being in the southern hemisphere experiences a sun that is predominantly coming at us from the north.

Why orientation matters with rooftop solar. Solar panel efficiency is a measure of the amount of solar energy irradiation which falls on a panel surface and is converted into electricity due to the many recent advances in solar cell technology over the last 5 years average panel conversion efficiency has increased from 15 to 20. In general solar panels that are oriented directly east or directly west will produce about 20 percent less electricity than if they were facing south. The image below shows.

Solar panel tracking systems can improve a system s output by ensuring constant direct exposure to the sun both during the day and across seasons. Ensuring that solar panels face the correct direction and have an appropriate tilt will help ensure that they produce maximum energy as they are exposed to the highest.